Federal funding kicks off initial upgrades of Vancouver's Space Centre

The Vanier Park civic building that is home to both the HR MacMillan Space Centre and the Museum of Vancouver. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

Some of the most significant upgrades for the HR MacMillan Space Centre in years will now go ahead following today’s announcement of a federal funding infusion for the non-profit organization that oversees the museum.

The Government of Canada’s Canadian Heritage Department will provide the space centre with $350,000.

This will enable the space centre to kick off the first phase of major upgrades of its attendance-driving flagship attraction of the Planetarium Star Theatre, specifically with the acquisition of the initial high-end projectors needed for the project to completely overhaul the planetarium’s aging and outdated equipment and infrastructure.

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“It will allow the Space Centre to create and deliver programming without technical restrictions,” said Taleeb Noormohamed, the MP for the federal riding of Vancouver-Granville and the parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage, during today’s press conference held at the space centre.

“With these upgrades, the Space Centre will not only elevate the visitor experience, but will also expand its creative collaboration with partner organizations into the exciting realms of spatial computing, virtual reality, and augmented reality. Personally, I can’t wait to come back and see all of these upgrades completed and to see firsthand the transformation impact of these investments.”

hr mcmillan space centre vancouver planetarium star theatre 1

Planetarium Star Theatre at HR MacMillan Space Centre. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

It also represents the launch of the space centre’s new capital fundraising campaign to fully cover the extensive planned upgrades for the planetarium, which include the installation of new state-of-the-art projects and computers and a new dome screen. The federal government’s new contribution covers a segment of these costs.

“Today, we are facing urgent challenges. Our iconic Planetarium Star Theatre, the heart of our experience, is in dire need of technology upgrades, which is critical to the continued operations of our centre and to the immersive experience that we offer. The funding has arrived just in time to launch our capital campaign and ensure that we stay at the forefront of innovation,” said Lorraine Lowe, the executive director of HR MacMillan Space Centre, during the event.

Larkin MacKenzie-Ast, the chair of the board of directors for the non-profit organizations, added, “We’ve seen how challenges can arise when maintenance and technological advancements fall behind in other Canadian cultural institutions, and at a time when space exploration, science, artificial intelligence, and technology are advancing at an unprecedented rate, we must ensure that the HR MacMillan Space Centre keeps pace with these innovations… These updates are not cosmetic. They are critical to the continued operation of our centre and to the immersive experience that we offer.”

The planetarium, with a dome ceiling for its 360-degree screen, seats up to 230 people.

The space centre shares its home with the Museum of Vancouver in the landmark City-owned building at Vanier Park in Kitsilano Point. It opened in 1968 and attracts over 145,000 visitors per year.

In stark contrast, this past summer, Science World received an additional $19 million in federal funding towards critical building upgrades, on top of the $10 million in federal funding it initially received in 2022 for the improvements.

This includes funding to repair Science World’s leaky dome, which is part of the process to eventually enable the reopening of the OMNIMAX theatre, which has been closed since the onset of the pandemic.

In August 2023, Redies told Daily Hive Urbanized in an interview that Science World’s expansive upgrade project over 10 years carries a total cost of about $110 million, which now includes the approximately $49 million now covered by the federal and provincial governments.

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